Ireland team: Winners and losers as ‘difficult to justify’ playmaker dropped but former Lion given chance to ‘prove himself’
Ireland team: Winners and losers as 'difficult to justify' playmaker dropped but former Lion given chance to 'prove himself'
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named his 23-man squad to take on Japan in the second round of the Nations Championship.
Here are our winners and losers from his selection.
Winners
Robbie Henshaw: He was locked out of the side for Ireland’s opening match against the Wallabies, but he’s now been given a shot against Japan. Henshaw’s inclusion at 13 will allow him to prove himself ahead of the final match of the summer, against New Zealand. The 33-year-old has played almost a century of times for his country and has been included on two British and Irish Lions tours, but currently finds himself looking from the outside in, in a congested Ireland midfield. With club teammate Garry Ringrose, Connacht centre Bundee Aki, and Ulsterman Stuart McCloskey all vying for the same shared space, a solid performance this weekend could go a long way.
Sean Jansen: It’s a relatively late start to international life for the 27-year-old who started his professional career in the northern hemisphere with Leicester Tigers just four years ago, but he will finally be making his international debut. Prior to his time in England, he played for North Otago, helping them reach the 2021 Lochore Cup Final. Although he was born in New Zealand, his Irish roots come from his grandparents, who met on a boat emigrating from Ireland to New Zealand as teenagers in the 1950s. He starts at number eight after impressing for Connacht and Ireland ‘A’ in recent seasons.
Uncapped replacements: The uncapped trio of Bryn Ward, Billy Bohan, and Sam Illo will all wait patiently for their opportunities from the bench. 21-year-old Ward is expected to take his place at the back of the scrum, likely replacing Jansen at number eight after equally impressing for Ulster this season, helping guide them to the Challenge Cup final. Connacht’s versatile prop Bohan can play on either side of the scrum and will bring his youthful energy to the fight when he likely comes on early in the second half. His club teammate Illo is equally adept at loosehead and tighthead, but at 25 years old, he is by far and away the eldest of the debut replacements.
Tadhg Beirne: After returning from injury last week, the 2025 British and Irish Lions Player of the Series is back in the starting XV. He made a hugely positive impact from the bench last weekend against the Wallabies and has been richly rewarded with the captaincy against Japan. His influence in the second-row is set to be hugely beneficial as a much-changed Ireland side tests their wider squad against a Japan side that dominated Italy in the last round.
Jacob Stockdale: We said last week that he was running out of chances to make an impact on the Ireland squad ahead of next year’s World Cup; well, here’s a huge opportunity for the Ulsterman. He’s now 30 years old and is trying to secure a starting spot in the squad that he was dropped from many years ago. Age is against him, but with James Lowe and Mack Hansen currently out of the Ireland squad, the wings are up for grabs. A try-scoring display on Saturday could turn the fortunes around for the former star.
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Losers
Sam Prendergast: It just doesn’t get any easier for Prendergast. After struggling to live up to the immense hype that followed him to international level, he returned to club duty with his tail between his legs. His form rose at the end of the season and was rewarded with a start in Ireland’s opening Nations Championship game against the Wallabies, but he was once again well below par. The 23-year-old is yet to have a genuinely impressive 80-minute performance for Ireland, and will not be able to redeem himself this week, either. He’s been replaced by the more experienced Ciaran Frawley, whose versatility allows him to slot in almost anywhere along the backline. Should Frawley open up the Japan defence this weekend, then it would prove difficult to justify selecting Prendergast next week.
Bundee Aki: The former British and Irish Lion and World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year Nominee still cannot secure himself a starting spot. The giant Connacht man is struggling to shift the in-form McCloskey from the 12 shirt, having to settle for a spot on the bench once again. He played just 18 minutes against Australia and looks set to do the same this weekend. The frustrating factor for Aki is that if he hadn’t been ruled out of the 2026 Six Nations due to suspension, McCloskey likely wouldn’t have been given as much game time as he had, and Aki would still have control over the 12 shirt. Now 36 years of age, he’s fighting time to get his shirt back.
Harry Byrne: In one sense, Byrne could be considered a winner, considering he’s finally being given the opportunity to play for the first time since his brief appearance against Scotland in the 2024 Six Nations. On the other hand, he is playing backup to a player who doesn’t typically play fly-half. Although Frawley is more than capable at 10, he typically plays full-back and, in his earlier years, was a very competent inside centre. But to find his club teammate picked ahead of him, in Byrne’s chosen position, might well sting.
Unused duo: Darragh Murray and Tommy O’Brien are the only two members of the Irish squad not to have been named in either of the two matchday squads. Both had impressive seasons at club level; Murray performed well in the second-row while O’Brien had a particularly impressive try-scoring season for both Leinster and Ireland, bagging three hat-tricks in total. Murray is competing with a high selection of second rows, which has meant that gametime for any of the locks has been limited, but O’Brien is somewhat unfortunate not to be selected considering his recent form.